THE DOUBLE- DEALER A COMEDY. Written by Mr. CONGREVE. 4 Printed for T. JOHNSON, M. DCC. X I. 7 Interdum tamen & vocem Comoedia tollit. Hor. Ar. Poet. , نی Huic equidem confilio palmam do; hic me magnifice effero, qui vim tantam in me poteftatem habeam tantæ aftutiæ, cendo ut eos ambos fallam. vera di Syr in Terent. Heaut. 1 To To the Right Honourable MONTAGUE, One of the LORDS of the TREASURY. SIR, I Heartily with this Play were as perfect as I intended it, that it might be more worthy your Acceptance; and that my Dedication of it to you, might be more becoming that Honour and Esteem which I, with every Body, who is so fortunate as to know you, have for you. It had your Countenance when yet unknown; and now it is made publick, it wants your Protection. A 2 The Epistle Dedicatory. I would not have any-body imagine, that I think this Play without its Faults, for I am confcious of several. I confess I design'd (whatever Vanity or Ambition occafion'd that defign) to have written a true and regular Comedy: but I found it an Undertaking which put me in mind ofSudet multum, frustraque laboret aufus idem. And now to make Amends for the Vanity of such a design, I do confess both the Attempt, and the imperfect Performance. Yet I must take the Boldness to say, I have not miscarry'd in the whole ; for the Mechanical part of it is regular. That I may say with as little Vanity, as a Builder may say he has built a House, according to the Model laid down before him ; or a Gardner that he has fet his Flowers in a Knot of fuch or sucha Figure. I design'd the Moral first, and to that Moral I invented the Fable; and do not know that I have borrow'd one Hint of it any where. I made the Plot as strong as I could, because it was fingle; and I made it fingle, because I would avoid Confufion, and was refolved to preserve the three Unities of the Drama. Sir, this Discourse is very impertinent to you, whose Judgement much better can difcern the Faults, than I can excuse them; and whose good-nature, like that of a Lover will find out those hidden Beauties (if there are any fuch) which it wou'd be great Immodesty for me to discover. I think I don't speak improperly when I call you a Lover , of |